Epcot - Magic Journeys 3D Film - The Inside Story

[AndrewJackson]

My cousin, Mark Eades, was one of the cinematographers for one of the original films at Epcot - Magic Journeys. In honor of the 30th anniversary, he has been posting his experience on Facebook getting the film to work correctly. Below are his posts. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did.

September 24th 12:30 PM PDT
So at 12:30 p.m. 30 years ago this day, myself and several Disney Studio & WDI officials finished looking at the first print of "Magic Journeys." It took Technicolor a day and a half to make the print from the various elements. It was a good print, and the only one. The two cans of 70 mm film were handed to me. Bob Gibeaut, then VP of studio operations told me to hand carry them and never let them out of my sight on the way to Florida on the red-eye. You know the one. Leaves LA around 10 p.m. goes to Atlanta, gets there around 3:30 a.m. the next day. Change planes and get to Orlando around 7 a.m. So I left with the cans of film in my Honda Civic to go home and pack some clothes on this continuing adventure. Bob also told me the film had to run in the Imagination Pavilion at 9 p.m. the next day for all the Kodak, Disney and execs from all the other EPCOT Center sponsors. If I did not have it there for that, I might as well hitchhike home.

September 24 3:30 PM PDT
At this time 30 years ago I was home, with two very heavy cans of 70 mm film. The only print of "Magic Journeys" in existence. I was going to hand-carry them to Florida. Disney even bought me two, count 'em two First class tickets for the flight, with adjoining seats. One for me, and the other for the two cans of film. They did not want them rolling around on the floor or in the overhead compartments. Nor did they want me to check them as luggage. (Can you imagine trying to get those through Homeland Security now a days?) My lovely wife was caring for our 2.5 month old son, and had managed to have some clothes laid out for me, as I did not know how many days I would be there. So my luggage would be check, but the film would be with me. The adventure continues.

September 24 7:30 PM PDT
It was at this time 30 years ago that they made the call for First Class boarding for that Delta Airlines flight to Atlanta out of LAX. Yes, First Class. So I kissed my eldest son, then 2.5 months old, and wife good-bye (at the gate no less!) and went up to the gate with the two large cans of 70 mm film in hand of the "Magic Journeys" 3D film. I showed them the two First Class tickets and they laughed, but understood that one of the tickets was for the two cans of film. Then went down the jetway and boarded the L1011 for my flight to Atlanta. On board a flight attendant thought it was hilarious, but told me about the time a famous golfer bought a ticket for their clubs to do the same thing. Then after a glass of bourbon, we eventually pushed back and I was off.

September 25 7:00 AM EDT
30 years ago this day I arrived around 7 a.m. Florida time in Orlando, those two cans of film of the only print of "Magic Journeys" in hand. I don't think I slept at all on the red-eye flight. Sigh. You should have seen this skinny guy trudging through the Atlanta Airport with those two large cans of film when changing planes! Anyway, got the rental car and my luggage and off to EPCOT Center. Stopped off at the old welcome center and got my parking pass, then I was on my way to the WED trailer behind the China Pavilion. Checked in, then was directed "NOW!" to the projection department office, upstairs in the China Pavilion. Handed the print to Tom Jozwiak, the head of EPCOT's projection department. He said it would take a couple hours to load it into the film loop cabinets and that I looked like I needed breakfast. I agreed and headed off to the employee cafeteria. I would meet him over at the Imagination Pavilion at 10 a.m.

September 25 12:00 Noon EDT
So at noon, 30 years ago, we tried running our first test show of "Magic Journeys" in the Imagination Pavilion at EPCOT Center. It was not successful. The projectors were out of sync with each other. Show lights came on during the film. Doors opened at strange times, and the audio was out of sync with the film. AAAAAAHHHHH! And remember, all the bigwigs would be coming in at 9 p.m. expecting to see the show. So the show programmer was given notes and went about fixing things. Next trial show was at 1 p.m. Many things fixed. Film projectors were in sync with each other, lights were better, no more mystery door openings, but the bloody audio was out of sync, by at least 20 seconds. Show programmer was given notes and went back to work. I left to walk over to the Energy Pavilion to see Rick Rothschild about an issue there, but didn't make it there. More in a bit.

September 25 6:00 PM EDT
30 years ago I was walking across the Future World area of EPCOT Center, coming from the Imagination Pavilion after some frustrating screenings of "Magic Journeys" that were out of sync and more. I was headed toward the Energy Pavilion and walking around the fountains in Communicore. Walking towards me were Ron Miller, head of the Disney studios, and Randy Bright, Executive Producer of EPCOT Film Production. We nodded as we passed each other. I continue walking and hear two male voices from behind me say, "Mark Eades." I sort of stop and hear it again, "Mark Eades" a little louder. I turn around and see Ron and Randy pointing at me like some kind of overlords, then they both say in unison, "Mark Eades, 'Magic Journeys' will run at 9 p.m. tonight." I started to say we were having problems and they were working on it. The pair said again, more ominously, "'Magic Journeys' will run at 9 p.m. tonight." I said, sure. We will have it running. They turned and walked away. I made a beeline back to the Imagination Pavilion.

September 25 8:00 PM EDT
As 8 p.m. approached 30 years ago we still had not had a successful screening. The last thing to fix was the audio sync. And each time we would run it, it would be out of sync. And of course we had to wait for the entire 18 minutes of film to run through the film loop cabinet each time we tweaked it. We had a coordinator with us telling us the execs were running on time. Oh, and at 8 p.m. we had our first successful showing of Kodak's preshow. SIGH. Well we adjust the start frame on the projectors and did not touch the show programming. 18 frames. Ran the show. Really close, but still off. I watched the whole show and had them move it by 4 frames. We ran it at 8:45 p.m. Finally, success!!!!!!! Everything was working. And then, precisely at 9 p.m. The Chairmen, CEOs, presidents and more of Disney, Kodak, American Express, AT&T, Exxon, GM, Kraft, Coca Cola and a few others walked in the door. We ran the show so they could see the preshow, then they all went in to see "Magic Journeys" in its entirety. FOR THE FIRST TIME! Tremendous response to the 3D, and to the show. Big success. Randy Bright and Ron Miller congratulated me and the team for pulling it off. Randy told me to extend my stay and get my wife and kid down here for the opening. I was finally able to leave for the Contemporary at 10:30 p.m. having not slept in a long time. Called the wife and told her to get tickets and get on a plane the next day. She and Casey flew down, during the day, the next day. Then I went to bed and slept soundly.

[DisneyDINK]

Thanks SO MUCH for sharing!!!!!

I really enjoyed the film and the "Making Memories" preeshow when I went to WDW back in '84 and '85.

I worked at a movie theater when I was in high school and college and I used to have to carry canisters of 35mm film from time to time. Yes they were heavy. And, of course 70mm film is 4 times as big, but gratefully the show was only 18 minutes, so it proabaly weighed about the same as a feature film, which is still... heavy.

[Aurora]

Very cool story! Thanks so much for sharing.

Do you know whether there will be any screenings in honor of the anniversary?

[AndrewJackson]

I don't think there is much planned at all for the 30th anniversary of Epcot. I know Marty Skylar will be there as part of a couple of panel discussions, and maybe a special Illuminations (??) Other than that, not much at all.

The story certainly made me realize all the creative people that had to work very, very hard to just make one movie. And, they couldn't just look it up in a book or manual, since they were inventing much of the technology required to create all the attractions.

[figgie]

Something really interesting to read, thanks for sharing that with us!

[mini]

I loved that movie! It is at the very top of my list of things I wish they would bring back.

[Disneywarrior]

Very interesting story! Thanks for sharing!

[Tigerinvestigator]

Also a big fan. Very interesting how it all started. You never think about those things when you go to WDW.

[sportsguy2315]

Thanks for sharing. I had heard stories that Magic Journeys was cutting it very close to opening (With rumors of Kodak threatening to pull out if Magic Journeys wasn't open in time given JIYI wouldn't open until March 83 and a "B" film ready to go in case Magic Journeys wasn't ready) and this pretty much confirms parts of what I had read. I have never seen it myself, so maybe they could bring that back.

[Tink1]

How cool! That is the attraction we took our name from. We had to change it to Magical so we didn't freak out Disney legal.

Nanc